Polish Mushroom Soup is full of earthy mushrooms, tangy sour cream and soft wide noodles. If you are craving something cozy, soul-warming and delicious on a cold day, this creamy soup is for you!
Mushrooms play a huge role in Polish cuisine, especially in Christmas dishes. Wild mushroom picking is somewhat of a national pastime exercised by whole families in the fall.
Growing up in Poland I ate mushrooms quite a lot: scrambled eggs with mushrooms, pierogi with sauerkraut and mushrooms (yum), naleśniki (Polish crepes) filled with mushrooms, mushroom and noodle casserole, pickled mushrooms, and my favorite: mushroom soup.
Few soups have as much magical, comforting feeling as this slurp worthy, slightly tangy mushroom soup with noodles. The closest contestant is probably a Sunday Polish classic: Rosół (Polish Chicken Soup) that needs to simmer for hours to develop enough flavor and its signature golden color.
This mushroom soup is quick and simple to make but the comfort level it brings is comparable. This creamy Dill Pickle Soup may be a close contender, too.
If you’re a mushroom lover like me, you’ll want to eat the whole pot by yourself in one day. I may have done that in the past but no proof exists.
Make sure to also try my Boursin Stuffed Mushrooms for an easy snack or appetizer.
Jump to:
What’s special about this recipe?
- Authentic Polish recipe
- Easy one-pot meal
- Mushroom flavor in every bite
- Some of the soup gets blended and added to the soup for thicker consistency and more intense flavor
- Dried mushrooms are optional but bring the soup to a new level
- A wonderful combination of savory, earthy and tangy flavors
- Fresh dill complements this soup perfectly
- Try this Bone Broth Chicken Soup for another tasty and nourishing soup recipe
Ingredient notes
- Mushrooms: I used baby bella mushrooms but white button mushrooms will also work. If you have access to fresh wild mushrooms (boletus, chanterelles or similar), these will also work.
- Onion: yellow, white or sweet onions are all great choices.
- Broth: I used vegetable broth to keep the recipe vegetarian but chicken broth (homemade or store bought) will also work well. I recommend Better than Boullion Vegetable Broth Base.
- Sour Cream: the best kind of sour cream only has cultured cream on the ingredients’ list. Stay away from sour cream made with additives. Daisy’s is a good choice.
- Garlic: fresh garlic is what you'll need.
- Dill: fresh dill is best. If you don’t have any, swap for fresh chopped parsley leaves.
- Lemon: adding something acidic to the soup helps balance out the flavors.
- Thyme: fresh or dried thyme will both work.
- Dried Porcini Mushrooms: these are optional but if you have access to dried mushrooms, they really add a great layer of flavor to the soup.
- Noodles: I like using egg noodles best but if you prefer, use eggless noodles or pasta.
- Salt & Pepper: for seasoning.
How to make Polish mushroom soup
STEP 1: Soak dried mushrooms (if using). Cover the mushrooms with 1 cup of boiling water and let them rehydrate for at least 30 minutes. The water will turn brown and the mushrooms will puff up. Take them out, squeeze the liquid out, chop finely and save the soaking water for later.
STEP 2: Cook the noodles in plenty of salted water. Drain and set aside.
STEP 3: Sauté onions and mushrooms. Start with butter and onions and cook them until soft and transculent. Add baby bella mushrooms, finely chopped dried mushrooms and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook together for about 10 minutes, stirring often, then add minced garlic, and thyme. Cook for 1-2 minutes more stirring constantly until fragrant.
STEP 4: Add the broth and simmer partially covered for 15-20 minutes.
STEP 5: Blend some of the soup with sour cream. This step helps to thicken the soup and adds a more intense flavor. You can use a standup blender or a bullet type blender, such as Ninja Nutri Pro. Add the blended mixture to the soup. Keep it on simmer but don’t boil the soup after adding sour cream.
Expert tip: don’t add cold sour cream directly to the soup. Adding it to a bit of hot soup and blending together before adding to the pot helps temper the sour cream so it won’t curdle in the soup. A little bit of curdling is ok but generally the soup should be creamy and silky.
STEP 6: Add cooked noodles, dill and lemon juice. Give it a taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
STEP 7: Serve and enjoy!
Serving suggestions
Serve Polish Mushroom Noodle Soup on its own or with a piece of crusty bread, such as sourdough or a baguette.
If you're looking for a more substantial lunch or dinner, pair it with a sandwich or this flavorful Ham and Cheese Wrap.
Storage and freezing tips
Store mushroom noodle soup in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Looking for more authentic Polish recipes? Try these Pierniczki (Polish Gingerbread Christmas Cookies).
Variations and substitutions
- Baby bella (brown) mushrooms can be swapped for white button mushrooms. You can also add fresh wild mushrooms, such as chanterelles or porcini if you have access to them.
- I like wide egg noodles for this recipe but you can use any noodles or pasta you like. Orzo, spaghetti, vermicelli or tagiatelle broken into smaller pieces or kluski noodles will all work.
- To make this soup more nutritious and add a boost of fiber, use whole grain noodles.
- For gluten free use gluten free egg noodles.
- To make this soup vegan friendly, use vegan sour cream, such as Kate Hill. You can also try it with cashew sour cream, though I haven’t tested it in this recipe. Use vegan butter or oil in place of butter.
Recipe FAQs
I wouldn’t recommend it. Fresh dill leaves gives this soup its characteristic flavor. If you don’t have dill, swap it for fresh parsley leaves.
If you’re not a fan of cream in soups, you can absolutely skip it and blend a bit more soup to thicken it.
I recommend cooking the noodles separately in plenty of salted water.
Not exactly. Mushroom soup served on Polish Christmas Eve (Wigilia) is usually made with dried wild mushrooms, vegetables such as carrots and celery root and heavy cream rather than sour cream. The mushroom soup in this post is much quicker to make and uses easily accessible ingredients.
They are similar but not the same. They both start with onions and mushrooms and they both use sour cream (at least my version of Polish mushroom soup does). The biggest difference is that Hungarian mushroom soup uses quite a lot of paprika and is typically NOT served with noodles.
More Polish inspired dishes
- Polish Chicken Soup (Authentic Rosół Recipe)
- Split Pea Soup with Ham and Pancetta (Instant Pot or Stovetop)
- Cold Polish Beet Soup (Chłodnik)
- Polish Cabbage and Meatballs (Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls)
- Szarlotka (Polish Apple Cake)
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Recipe
Polish Mushroom Soup (Zupa Grzybowa)
Ingredients
- 1 lb baby bella mushrooms sliced
- 6 oz wide egg noodles or eggless noodles or pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves crushed or finely minced
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 4-5 dried porcini mushrooms optional
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup chopped dill
- Juice from half a lemon
- ½ teaspoon dried or fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- If you are using dried mushrooms, place them in a small bowl and cover with 1 cup of boiling water. Cover the mushrooms with 1 cup of boiling water and let them rehydrate for at least 30 minutes. The water will turn brown and the mushrooms will puff up. Take them out, squeeze the liquid out, chop finely and save the soaking water for later.
- Cook the noodles in boiling salted water according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- In a Dutch oven or pot with a thick bottom melt the butter and add the onions. Cook on medium heat for a couple minutes, stirring from time to time until softened and translucent.
- Add sliced baby bella mushrooms, finely chopped rehydrated dried mushrooms and ½ teaspoon salt and cook together for 8-10 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add a splash of broth if the mushrooms and onions start browning too much.
- Add minced garlic and thyme. Cook stirring for a minute or two until fragrant.
- Pour in the broth and the dried mushroom soaking water and bring to boil. Turn the heat down to low and cook partially covered 15-20 minutes more.
- Remove one cup of the soup (broth and solid mushrooms and onions) and place in a blender. Add sour cream to the hot liquid and blend together until smooth. Pour the blended soup back into the Dutch oven and stir.
- Add cooked noodles, lemon juice and fresh dill. Stir together and taste.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Baby bella (brown) mushrooms can be swapped for white button mushrooms.
- If you’re not a fan of cream in soups, you can skip sour cream and blend a bit more soup to make it creamy without dairy.
- I like wide egg noodles for this recipe but you can use any noodles or pasta you like. Orzo, spaghetti, vermicelli or tagiatelle broken into smaller pieces or kluski noodles will all work.
- To make this soup more nutritious and add a boost of fiber, use whole grain noodles.
- For gluten free use gluten free egg noodles.
- To make this soup vegan friendly, use vegan sour cream, such as Kate Hill. You can also try it with cashew sour cream, though I haven’t tested it in this recipe. Use vegan butter or oil in place of butter.
Nutrition
You may also like
- Creamy Chicken Butternut Squash Soup (with Potato Gnocchi)
- Easy Ground Chicken Soup (with Veggies and Pasta)
- Easy Dill Pickle Soup (Polish Zupa Ogórkowa)
- Chicken Meatball Soup (Homemade Chickarina Soup)
Meet the Author
Hi, I'm Agnieszka. I'm a mom of three and recipe developer, writer and photographer behind Wholly Tasteful. I love creating comforting, delicious, family-friendly recipes that you can feel good about.
Stephanie says
We love mushrooms in my house and this soup was a big hit for dinner. So comforting and tasty. Thank you for all the tips!
Nora says
Such a hearty, comforting soup! Love it!
Bernice says
Delicious! I had some mushrooms and dill in the fridge that needed using up and soup was the solution. I'm glad I found this recipe because it was super tasty and a 'keeper'.
Jere Cassidy says
Super tasty soup and easy to make. I love the flavor of dill and the addition of noodles for a hearty soup.
Jill says
Love soup season and this looks so comforting!
Sue says
I'm craving soup these days, and this one just got added to the rotation!
Lilly says
This soup is so good! It's just what I needed. Thanks for the recipe
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says
Wonderful hearty soup full of flavor!
megane says
So delicious and easy to make.
Jamie says
I love how hearty this soup is!
Amy Liu Dong says
This is a new soup recipe for me to make.
It looks delicious and looks so easy to make.
Ewa says
Great recipe.
T says
This was DELICIOUS. YUM. I followed the recipe as you stated, tasting as I went. I knew it was going to be great and it did not disappoint! :). I had forest mushrooms someone had brought for me from Poland and they were great here. Thank you!
Agnieszka says
Aww, so glad you enjoyed this soup!
TheBPlot says
This was polish grandma highly approved!!!! Thank you!
Agnieszka says
Awww. Thank you for youe comment!
Gary says
Oh my so good and easy to make. Very similar to a soup I had in Krakow. Absolutely delicious
Agnieszka says
So glad you liked it, Gary!
Bogusia says
Easy recipe. My whole family loved it.